Thank you for your interest in volunteering at your parish, school or agency. Your involvement can make a positive impact in the lives of our youth. Children have a natural desire to learn and to admire those adults who choose to be a part of their lives.

As adults, it is our duty to nurture and protect children. That is why we make child protection a priority, so we can create a safe environment for children to grow and thrive. Here, you will find information to get you registered for child protection training using the VIRTUS platform.

We know that the commitment you are making to be a part of this community is great, but there is no better investment of your time, talent, and treasure than the future of our Diocese, our youth.

VIRTUS is a nationally recognized, comprehensive child safety program designed to prevent child sexual abuse. The Protecting God’s Children (PGC) training program offers clergy, employees and volunteers the knowledge and skills to identify warning signs of grooming and abuse, control risks, and properly report suspicions and disclosures of all types of abuse.

  1. Review the Safe Environment Policies and Procedures for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults booklet that is found on the diocesan website www.covdio.org/safe-environment.
  2. Go to your parish, school or institution office. Introduce yourself to the VIRTUS coordinator for each location where you are volunteering or are employed.
  1. “Registering” means opening an account at virtusonline.org.
  2. You may only open ONE account. If you know that you already have an account, you may get your id and password by clicking on “Need login information” on the first screen.
  3. Go to virtusonline.org, Click on the “First Time Registrant” link in the left green area of the page.
  4. Begin the registration process.
  5. Select Covington, KY (Diocese) on the dropdown list.
  6. Create your User ID. Create a password that is a minimum of eight letters/characters. Make a notation of these somewhere. You will need them every time you access VIRTUS. Do not use your email address as your user id. User IDs are case sensitive so, if you have a printer, it’s good to print a copy!
  7. Your name needs to be entered into the system as your full legal name as it appears on your driver’s license. There is a separate box for a suffix such as Jr, Sr, II and III etc.
  8. If you use a nickname, please enter it in the appropriate nickname box.
  9. Continue filling out your information.
  10. Select a primary location. If you work for the Diocese, select your place of employment as the primary location and where you volunteer as an additional location. If you volunteer at your home parish and at another Diocesan entity, please select the home parish as your primary location.
  11. You may select more than one secondary location.
  12. If you need to add or remove a location, please contact [email protected] or [email protected] .
  13. Select your role, title or function in the Diocese.
  14. Volunteers and employees should also select if they are the following: coach, catechist, scout leader, contracted janitor, SVDP member etc.
  15. Read and complete the Acceptance Form and Code of Conduct.
  16. Provide e-signatures as required.
  17. Select Yes or No when you get to the page about attending a session. NO – select the session you wish to attend; YES – please send the date and training location to [email protected] .
  1. After you see “Thank you for registering with VIRTUS Online”, click on “Begin Background Check” and follow the prompts.
  2. For security it is recommended not to use a cell phone to enter a background check. Use a laptop or computer.
  3. Use care to ensure all data is correct before submitting to avoid additional fees. If you notice a mistake, IMMEDIATELY contact selection using the chat feature to try to correct the error.
  4. Be sure to enter your name as it appears on your driver’s license or state issued ID card.
  5. The standard cost of the background check is $46. Those who have lived outside the state of KY will have additional fees. These fees will vary depending on the states and counties in which you have lived. Please contact [email protected] if you need more information regarding these fees.
  6. To receive an electronic copy of your results,
  7. It takes approximately two days for a background check to be marked “complete”. If your background says “pending,” that means it is being processed. Please do not re-enter your information and pay another fee but keep checking your status.
  1. It is important that you register immediately whether you select a class or not so that your paperwork can be processed.
  2. On the page that asks you to sign up for a class, scroll to the bottom and click on, “submit registration”.
  3. The system will then say, “You did not select a training session. Do you want to select a training session at this time?”  Say, “No.”
  4. The system will then say, “If you do not select a session now and are required to attend one, you will need to come back to this site, log in and select a session at a later date.” Say, “Yes.”
  5. The system will tell you that you have successfully registered.
  1. If you need to change the training session that you have previously chosen, enter your user id and password.
  2.  On your home screen click on the current Training Tab. Register for an upcoming session will be underlined. Click here.
  3. Choose the training date and location that fits your needs from the list.
  • Your account will be processed and is active after your online acceptance form has been completed, background check has been cleared, and PGC class attendance has been verified.
  • You will receive an email from VIRTUS with your user id when your account is open.
  • Be sure that your spam blocker is set up to accept emails from [email protected].
  • Bulletins are posted on the first Sunday of each month on your VIRTUS account. You will receive a monthly reminder and link to the bulletin from [email protected]. Ensure that you are set up to accept from this email site as well.
  • If you do not complete your bulletin in 30 days, your Training Tab will turn red on your home screen to remind you to complete your bulletin.
  • Anyone who has missed 12 bulletins will be inactivated in the VIRTUS system. You will not be able to volunteer or be employed until this is resolved.
  • To be reactivated, contact your primary location. Do not make a new account. You will need to re-process your selection background check, even if it has only been one year.
  1. Go to www.virtusonline.org, enter user id and password.
  2.  Click on “My Info” to update your contact, email or physical address.
  3. To update locations, contact [email protected] or [email protected] .
  • Your background check will need to be re-processed every five years, or if your account has been inactivated.
  • PGC training will be updated every five years through an online module on your active account, or in person if preferred.
  • Documents including a revised Acceptance Form or Code of Conduct may be required to be electronically signed annually through your VIRTUS account. You will be notified through your account about these requirements.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact the Safe Environment office.